A great sauce can make a good piece of salmon extraordinary, and this creamy dill sauce does exactly that. Five ingredients, five minutes, one bowl, and a whisk. Mayo creates the creamy, rich base, fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity that cuts right through it, olive oil loosens everything into a silky, drizzleable consistency, and fresh dill brings that herby, slightly grassy, distinctly salmon-friendly flavor that makes the whole thing taste like it came from a restaurant. This is the sauce you’ll make once and then want on everything.

The key is fresh dill. Dried dill works in a pinch but the flavor difference is significant. Fresh dill has a brightness and a clean herby punch that dried simply can’t replicate. If you have access to it, use it. The rest of the recipe asks for nothing complicated.

Ingredients Needed to Make Creamy Dill Salmon Sauce

Five ingredients and nothing more. Here’s what you need:

Mayo (the creamy, rich base; a good quality mayo makes a noticeable difference here)
Fresh lemon juice (brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the mayo)
Olive oil (adds a silky body and helps thin the sauce to a drizzleable consistency)
Salt and black pepper
Fresh dill, chopped (the star of the sauce; fresh is strongly preferred over dried)

How to Make Creamy Dill Salmon Sauce

One bowl, one whisk, five minutes.

1

Combine and Whisk
Add the mayo, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth and emulsified. The olive oil will incorporate into the mayo base and the whole sauce will look glossy and uniform.

2

Add the Dill
Stir in the freshly chopped dill until evenly distributed throughout the sauce.

3

Taste and Adjust
Taste the sauce and adjust as needed. A little more lemon if you want more brightness, a pinch more salt to sharpen the flavors, or extra dill if you want a more herbaceous punch. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce gets slightly better after 30 minutes in the fridge as the flavors meld together.

Storing and Make-Ahead Tips

This sauce stores well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed jar or airtight container. It may thicken slightly as it chills since the olive oil can partially solidify when cold. Give it a quick stir and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving if you want it looser. The lemon flavor brightens as it sits, which most people love.

This sauce is an excellent make-ahead option. Whisk it together the night before and refrigerate overnight. By the time dinner rolls around it’s perfectly blended and ready to go with no last-minute work required.